Improvement in dress-elevators



MAR-Y DEWEY.

Dress-Elevators.

` WWS V e www UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE.,

MAEY DEwEY, `or oIIIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN DRESSELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,205, dated May 26, 1874; application filed March 13, 1874.

To all whom fit may concern:

Beit known that I, MARY DEWEY, of Ghicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Dress- Elevator; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this speciiication, in which- 4to that end it consists in a metal wire cordguide coiled through the lower edge of the waistband, and adapted to receive a series of weighted cords which are attached to the lower portion of the skirt, and so united as to move simultaneously, whereby the skirt may be elevated, the weights acting to move the skirt downward to its normal position when the cords are relieved. It further consists in the construction of the spring-clasp, which acts to secure the cords in adjustment, as I will now proceed to describe. A

In the drawing, A is the waistband, which is composed of plain webbing, and adapted to be buckled around the waist of the wearer. B is the eord-guide, consisting of a wire coiled in tubular form, and secured to the waistband by passing the coils through the lower edge of the latter, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. G is the cord-cla-sp, composed of a strip of sheet metal bent at its sides, forming ears a, which serve to guide the operating-cords. This clasp is permanently attached to one end of the guide B, the latter being disengaged at its end from the waistband to admit of the same. D is the operating-cords, which are made of different lengths, and united rmly together at the end of the forward portion is pivoted to the upper edge of the ears, as shown at f, the short portion or arm g below the pivot extending downward, and is adapted to bear upon the cords, compressing the latter against the base of the clasp. The arrangement of this arm gis such that by the tension of the spring the cords are held rmly at any adjusted point; but to relieve itself from contact with the cords when pressure is applied to the arc or upper surface oi' the spring, the pendent end of each of the cords D is provided with a weight, G, and with several additional cords, h, as shown in Fig. l. Attached to the lower end of each of these cords is a clasping-pin, m, which maybe of any suitable kind, adapted to secure the ends of the cords to the dress-skirt.

By this construction of cord-guide and its manner of attachment to the waistband, the latter is made exible, and the cords are pro tected by the coils of the wire, thereby insuring afree and uniform movement of the same, and also enabling the position of the cords to be changed so as tovdepend from the coils at any desired point without injuring the flexibility of the band.

To use my invention, the waistband A is attached to the inner side of the dress-waist, and clasp G passed through the same into the pocket. Cords h are then secured to the lower portion of the skirt at the requisite distance, one from the other, and at equal distances from the lower edge of the same. The wearer then buckles band A around her waist, and to elevate the skirt the cordsD are drawn through clasp C by means of ring d, and are held at any adjusted point by the compression ot arm g of the spring. Vhen the skirt is to belowered it is only necessary to press upon the upA per surface` of the spring-catch E, which elevates the lower end of arm g from contact with the cords, releasing` the sa1ne,and the gravity of the Weights carries the skirt downward to its normal position.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a dress-elevator, the spiral oord-guide combined with the Waist-band by passing the coils through the lower edge of the band, as described.

2. The oord-clasp C, combined With the cordguide B, and provided with the spring-catch E, pivoted as described, whereby arm g of the spring,1 is adapted to hold the operatingeords in adjustment, as specified.

3. The dress-elevator eonsistingof the Waistband A, spiral eordgnide B, having its coils passed through the band, the Weighted operating-cords D, provided with the olasping pins, the oord-clasp C, and spring-catch E, snb stantially as described.

MARY DEWEY.

Witnesses:

N. H. SHERBURNE, C. H. PARKINsoN. 

